Vibes: Forgetting daily routines. Jumping into the water from your private deck. Everything you need to relax in one place.

Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean and belonging to the dreamy tropical nation of Maldives, PER AQUUM Huvafen Fushi is truly a remarkable place. The hotel’s modern boutique feel as well as its underwater spa really make it stand out from the rest. Enjoy the calendar of bespoke experiences, like private performances from Joss Stone, the Russian ballet or Lee Foss.

Vibes: Aegean luxury. Blues and whites for days. Watching the changing colour of the sun setting in the water.

Astarte Suites sits high above the Aegean Sea on the island of Santorini. The secluded location and the intimate size give it a feel of a private villa, with all the luxuries of a boutique hotel. Just a short walk away is Oia, one of the most well known and beautiful villages in the Mediterranean. Astarte consists of 9 beautiful luxury suites, all overlooking the volcano and the caldera.

Villa Argentina sits on a dramatic cliff, surrounded by ancient walls, with a breath-taking view of Dubrovnik Old Town and the island of Lockrum. Take in the enclosing pine tree-clad mountains and the crystal emerald Adriatic sea. Villa Argentina, originally a private residence during early 20th century, was converted into a luxury hotel in the 1950s. 127 rooms and 4 suites keep the original architecture, with high ceilings and stone balconies, beautifully integrating the old with the new. Enjoy the old-world charm, the lush lemon and wild orange tree gardens; the rosemary, lavender and bay leaf plants. Breakfast on your private balcony with a historic backdrop. Dinner beneath the grapevines.

Vibes: Tasting the fertile landscape of Alentejo in the full-bodied wine made on the premises. Gazing into the clearest night sky from your bed.

L’AND Vineyards is a luxury boutique resort, set inside a vineyard in the heart of Alentejo. Enjoy views of a vine garden, a tranquil indigo lake and the Medieval castle of Montemor. The building houses the L’AND winery, as well as 22 modern suites, beautifully integrating design and nature, built with natural stone, slate and wood. Choose between Sky-View or L’and Suites. Both suites have a large outdoor terrace with fireplace and a private patio, creating a peaceful and intimate atmosphere. The Sky-View suites allow the full opening of the bedroom ceiling, and include a private courtyard garden with a plunge pool. Sleep under the Alentejo night sky and take advantage of one the least polluted areas in Europe.

A short flight away from Tahiti, resides one of the most private and untouched French Polynesian islands – Tetiaroa. The sanctuary is home to The Brando – a vision developed by Marlon Brando for one of the first sustainable luxury retreats in the world. Tetiaroa is composed of many small islands surrounding a beautiful lagoon, which used to serve as a vacation destination of Tahitian royalty. The Brando offers 35 oceanfront villas, reflecting Polynesian culture. Choose a one, two or three bedroom villa, with inside and outside masterfully merged together.

Vibes: Animal calls at night all around you. The clearest skies. River boat cruise at sundown. Being at one with nature yet luxuriously comfortable.

Marataba Safari Lodge sits on open plains and is surrounded by the Waterberg Mountains inside the Marakele National Park. Choose between 15 beautiful canvas-and-stone suites, each with a private viewing deck, a free-standing stone bath and an outdoor shower. Take advantage of the dramatic scenery of the red sandstone mountains and the river below. The main lodge has a large fireplace, to exchange stories by, a swimming pool to cool off during the day and numerous hammocks in the trees. Marataba offers an opportunity to see animals rarely seen anywhere else, because of its location in the transitional zone between the western and eastern regions of South Africa.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Perfect for: Travellers chasing the Northern Lights and looking for a true North Pole Experience.

Vibes: The heat of the sauna following a refreshing cool plunge in the lake. Blue twilight. Crisp, bright snow. The purples and greens of Aurora Borealis. Summer midnight sun.

Hotel Kakslauttanen is located along the road to the Arctic Sea, close to Urho Kekkonen National Park in one of the cleanest natural environments you will ever visit. Accommodations vary by size and design. Choose a personal glass igloo – perhaps the most unique part of the hotel, where the Northern Lights can be seen through your glass ceiling. Stay in one of the rustic chic cabins, made from kelp pines, including a fireplace and a sauna! Or, spend a night in one of the snow igloos for a true North Pole experience.

Vibes: Sleeping amongst the tree-tops. Time traveling to the 1950’s. An enchanting and magical experience.

Treehotel combines great design, nature, sustainability and magic to create one of the most unique retreats in the world. Located in Northern Sweden, in the village of Harads, your long journey to get here will be worth it. Choose one of 6 unique treehouses with a view of Lule River valley, surrounded by centuries-old pines and suspended 4-6 metres above ground. Warm up in the Tree Sauna. Each “Treeroom” has been created by some of Scandinavia’s best architects and everything from the rooms to the furniture has been custom designed.

Playa Viva is a boutique beachfront ecolodge, located on Mexico’s Pacific side with Sierra Madre mountains as a backdrop. Enjoy the private stretch of beach, morning yoga, and the unique sustainable design. Choose one of 12 treehouses, eco casitas or suites – all open air and oceanfront. Wander the 200 acre property and discover an Aztec archaeological site or a mangrove ecosystem – home to a variety of wildlife. The mix of public and private spaces help create the perfect vibe for meeting new people or finding yourself. Playa Viva runs on a 100% off-grid solar system and uses smart water conservation. The ecolodge also runs The Playa Viva Turtle Sanctuary, protecting turtles from predators and poachers.

OFF THE GRID

Perfect for: Escapists. Couples who are thirsty to explore the world in a non-traditional way.

Vibes: Travelling back in time. The golden dunes of Sahara. Starry nights by the camp fire. The melody of Berber songs accompanied by the desert wind.

Camp Adounia is a luxury glamping retreat in the Sahara desert and along the picturesque and secluded African beaches. Built to resemble old Moroccan desert tents where nomads stayed ages ago, the exotic getaway is a once in a lifetime adventure to truly connect with nature and share an unforgettable experience together.

Vibes: Coconut palms. Underwater adventure. Sundowners while watching baby sharks and sardines in the water below. Lazy afternoons with a good book.

Misool Eco Resort is a remote dive destination and wildlife conservation centre in southern Raja Ampat, Indonesia, surrounded by crystal clear water, powder-white beaches, coral reefs, and uninhabited islands. The Water Cottages are built on stilts over water with reclaimed hardwood and Balinese-style open-air bathrooms. Discover an untouched underwater world you can dive into straight from your villa. Relax in the hammock on your private veranda with nothing but blue and green hues in your view.

Let’s face it. Sitting down to plan your wedding ceremony can be more than just a little overwhelming! Especially if you happen to be sitting at your computer and all you see is a blank document with the curser blinking in your face. It can bring on flashbacks of final papers from university or College and that need to write something… ANYTHING to feel like you have done something.

Any woman who has been to a friend or family member’s bridal shower knows that the typical games played at these events can be a bit cheesy. The old standbys of Bridal Bingo or The Newlywed Game have become so overplayed that it can make the whole party seem silly. Luckily, there are a number of other ways to celebrate a bridal shower that are a bit more creative and entertaining for guests. Read on for three of our favourites.

Centre the Event Around an Activity

If your guests are active or athletically inclined, consider hosting the party at an ice skating rink, trampoline park, or indoor rock climbing facility. This way, guests will interact more and have stronger memories than they would by simply sitting around answering banal questions about the bride and groom. Another great option could be attending a hands-on cooking or baking class together so that you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour at the end of the party. Wine and painting classes are super trendy right now, so that is another possibility. Be sure to consider the abilities and preferences of your guests in choosing an activity.

Offer Advice and Well-Wishes for the Bride

Another fun alternative to games is to have guests put together a series of idea boxes for the bride. For example, have each guest create a card with her favourite recipe and compile them all at the shower. To help keep the marriage going strong, another box could be filled with creative date night ideas or marriage advice. For well-wishes, assign each guest a number corresponding to a particular anniversary and have them write something sentimental on a card. Make sure the bride understands that she is not to open each card until that anniversary. This is a gift that will keep on giving for many years to come. Put each set of cards in a decorated box or a trendy mason jar tied up with a bow.

If You Insist on Playing a Game…

Two truths and a lie is a fun way to get the conversation going, particularly if the guests do not know one another very well. To play the game, one guests tells of three memories she shared with the bride, two of them true and one a lie. The other guests then have to guess which one is the lie. In many cases, the true stories are actually more interesting than the lie, and the guests will have a great time swapping funny or touching memories.

To help you in planning a bridal shower, The Wedding Shoppe offers everything you need, from decor to party favours to stationery for the invitations. We carry products in a wide variety of themes to suit virtually every bride-to-be’s personal style and taste.

It’s always exciting to see which bridal gown and wedding décor trends emerge each year, and this year we have a real treat: natural elements are trending for 2016 weddings. And it turns out that leveraging the simple romance of nature’s bounty can create truly breathtaking weddings.